Fewer layoffs translate to lower unemployment

ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Labor announced new preliminary unemployment figures early Thursday morning, and jobless rates are declining across most of the state.

Georgia labor officials said metro Atlanta's unemployment rate dropped to 8.4 percent in September. That's down four-tenths of a percentage point from a revised 8.8 percent in August.

Among other Georgia metro areas, the Gainesville area has a 6.7 percent jobless rate, which is still higher than the Athens area, which continued to have the lowest area jobless rate at 6.4 percent. The Dalton area had the highest at 11.2 percent.

Labor officials said the jobless rate declined primarily because of fewer layoffs in manufacturing, construction, trade, administrative and support services, and accommodations and food services.